Pokemon Hunters
by doomhammer828
Summary: Pokemon have rebelled against their trainers and now they have taken most of the Kanto region by force, Pokemon hunters hunt and kill them. This is the story of one such hunter Christopher Malone. Rated T for language, violence.
1. Chapter 1

_No one ever could have imagined the idea of the Pokémon rebelling against their trainers, much less try and take over the entire region yet when they did 7 years ago that far off nightmare became a reality that was real and dangerous. Thousands died before, whether as a blessing or a curse, the Hunters came._

An excerpt from the journal of Professor Oak.

The humans were losing Kanto that much was almost certain by this point. Currently Viridian was the only completely safe place in all of Kanto. Pewter had been almost completely destroyed however small villages surrounded by mines and a few human guards kept the Pokémon at bay. Vermillion was the same way, having industrialized themselves earlier the electric Pokémon had a claim to most of the land and Vermillion was now a rotted out old city that was collapsing at the seams. Cinnabar Island was another example. There is a battle going on there right now between the fire Pokémon and the Hunters. The Hunters are managing to drive them back but supplies are limited because not many Hunters are that interested in trying to save the Kanto region, as the more of it that was taken over, the more work there would be for them.

Pokémon Hunters were not an army; they were mercenaries who worked for money and equipment to continue hunting, needless to say that the Hunters were at first greeted with discontent rather than open arms. No one knows who created the name Pokémon Hunters nor do they know who created the Hunters guild which oversees the Hunters and bestows upon them different ranks so people may know what tasks they are suited towards. But our story revolves largely on one specific Hunter who would become as legendary as the prey he hunted. That Hunters name was Christopher Malone.

Christopher Malone was a well known Pokémon Hunter and had been for several years. Ever since the beginning of the war between human and Pokémon Malone had been there. Malone breathed deeply the air from the road between Pewter and Viridian, possibly one of the few places left with beautiful fresh air that you didn't have to be watching all around you gun in hand waiting for the Pokémon to spring out of nowhere. Malone was coming back from a trip up near Pewter city (or what's left of it) to acquire some heirloom a family asked him to retrieve. Christopher Malone didn't look the hero type, he was 20 years of age, tallish, red-brownish hair, a little grizzly, and the only thing about him that people thought was odd was his innocent looking blue eyes. Malone was however far from innocent; he had training in various forms of martial arts as well as boxing and kickboxing, learned the arts of stealth from Koga of Fuchsia and his ninjas. Not to mention he grew up in Saffron so people suspected that he had Psychic powers latent somewhere.

Christopher Malone was bored. He was bored with every job being a simple go there and kill/retrieve that. Malone wanted to really start making a difference in this shitty world but every time he tried in seemed to backfire. As I said earlier most of Kanto belonged to the Pokémon by this point but never let it be said that Christopher Malone stood by and did nothing while the world went down the shitter. He was in the Pewter Avalanche corp. and he was there when the grass Pokémon took Celadon. Unfortunately he hadn't even been able to go near his hometown which was quickly overrun with psychic Pokémon. Malone looked outside and saw Viridian city, the place which he had called home these last few years. At first Viridian had almost been overrun by the Bug Pokémon of the forest nearby however the Hunters had managed to stem the tide… by burning the forest down completely, and yes, Christopher Malone had been there for that victory as well. But Malone isn't the only hero of this story, no, the other is a hero that we all know quite well, his name is Ash Ketchum.

Ash Ketchum was sitting at a table in a PokéBar in viridian city with his good friend Brock and a friend of theirs who claimed that he knew someone who would be more than happy to help with their troubles. Ash had been getting dirty looks the entire time that he had been sitting at the table and was starting to get anxious waiting for the alleged Hunter to arrive. The door opened and Ash quickly turned his head only to see three burly, muscular, tattooed bikers come in and take their places at the bar. "Don't worry he'll come" assured the friend of Brock's, Titus was an aging Hunter and it was beginning to show in the forty year olds face and the way that he spoke. Ash had all but lost hope, the door opened but Ash didn't look back this time figuring that he would have the same luck as the past few times. He heard a young man order when Brock poked his shoulder and pointed saying "I think that's him, Christopher Malone" and Ash turned to see that sure as the rumors said when he arrived a brawl began.

Christopher Malone stopped into the PokéBar in Viridian. He didn't drink alcohol (dulls the senses as he would say) but he still liked the atmosphere and it was a good place to pick up some boring well-paying work. He sat at the bar where the 23ish busty country-looking waitress smiled at him flirtatiously and asked him "The usual then Malone" he nodded his head and she brought him out some Ginger Ale and a small plate of cake. He ate some, not the best but it had a homely feel to it here. The bikers looked at Malone with disgust in their eyes and stupid written on their faces. "Hey" one yelled, "you don't drink" Malone didn't answer such stupid rhetoric's instead he simply continued his meal and drink. "HEY" another drunkard exclaimed, "We were talking to you faggot" "yeah you stupid Cunt" "You numbskull if he's a faggot he can't be a cunt, he hates them" "then what is he boss" "He's a prick that's what he is" "He can't be a prick either, he sucks prick" the drunken looney tunes burst into uproars of laughter so large you would think Richard Pryor had just finished his routine.

"Hey you guys leave Malone alone" the bartending waitress replied, Malone merely said "it's ok Beckie" this seemed to strike a chord with the drunks party, why one would almost believe that someone had just told them they would die celibate by their reactions. "Hey you can't call her that" the drunk leader grabbed Malone's arm (fatal mistake one) spit in his face while speaking (fatal mistake two) and told him what he could/could not do (Strike three and you are out). Malone grabbed the man's arm and twisted it around so his palm was facing upwards and using his knee, kicked upwards snapping his arm at the elbow and causing it to burst out of his skin. The man fell down weeping, and another fatter one came at him. Malone dodged the first haymaker, then the left hook that followed to counter with a heel palm to the chin and finger stab to the abdominal cavity followed by a swift kick to the chest causing him to fly backwards and onto one of the other drunken loons. The last one standing whipped out a switchblade and came at him. Malone rolled his eyes (attempting to stab an unarmed person is a very stupid idea as the counter is very simple and you are pretty much wide open.) Malone side-stepped and grabbed the man's arm twisted grabbed the knife and stabbed him in the scrotum. The man cried in pain and Malone kicked him to ground where he spat into his eyes. "Get the fuck out of here you Pokémon loving bitches" the bar cheered in unison as the four bikers were dragged from the bar.

Malone was about to sit down and enjoy his drink when someone came up to him. "Hello" the young boy (16-18ish maybe) said. "Hi" Malone replied obviously hinting that whatever it was the boy wanted he should say it quick. "I need your help" the boy began "A friend of mine is trapped in Cerulean, I know that they are surrounded by the advancing water Pokémon but please mister Malone sir you are the only one who is even close to qualified enough to help with this" The bar burst into laughter and the boy continued "I will pay 1 and a half million if you'll help me get her out of there" suddenly the bar went silent that was the kind of money they had wet dreams about but they just heard the numbers called. But would Malone be crazy enough to go on a suicide mission to a war torn Cerulean city? "Sure" Malone replied "sounds like fun".


	2. Chapter 2:Prepare for the worst

_When it began we became more focused with killing the Pokémon than we were with trying to save them. We made cars, guns, fortified buildings, we became obsessed with money, and people became animals. Now we are trying to regain humanity as we are losing the war. We kill rather than save, and then we save rather than kill. Oh how fickle is man's resolve in matters of pride._

From the journals of Professor Oak.

Ash awoke in the small Viridian city hotel rushing outside to be ready for the time when Chris had promised they would leave, setting off for Cerulean city to save one of the last pockets of humanity left in the Kanto region, which included his good friend Misty. He went outside and saw Chris working on his car. The car was an older looking car but despite that it had spiked steel bumpers in the front and back, on the front end was a painted on Pikachu skull symbol, and on the side a picture depicting a busty beauty with cutesy smile, holding a gun over a bloodied caterpie with the words "Bug off" written in red above it. Suddenly Ash felt significantly less sure that he had picked the right guy.

Ash nervously approached Malone sweat now dripping from his brow. Ash had after all heard stories of Malone's violence towards Pokémon lovers (PokePets was the derogatory slang term the Hunters were using now a days). One particular story goes like this. This happened a little while after the fall of Celadon City so the PokePets were suddenly coming out of the closet significantly more often than before as they now had something with which to ridicule the Hunters with. So Christopher Malone was in a Poke Bar in Vermillion city and for once he was actually ordering alcoholic beverages! This would have immediately tipped off any Hunter who had heard of Malone (like all of them) that he wasn't exactly in jolly mood and would have left him undisturbed.

Several PokePets came into the bar and shuffled over to Malone's seat. The first one that spoke up was a scrawny looking middle-aged man with glasses, the stories differ as to what was said and the first words range from "How many have you killed motherfucker" to "give peace a chance" but the stories all say the same thing about the words that come next. A teenaged PokePet spoke next, "don't waste your breath Ted (occasionally his name is Tim but I digress) it's not like a stupid brute with a gun can understand felling". In case you couldn't tell these were the last "words" spoken in this conversation. Malone then grabbed the middle-aged glasses man by his tie and yanked his face forward almost touching his own, looked him in the eye, let go of the tie, and punched him in the nose. Blood rushed forth from the man's wounded (and squished) nose causing both the teen and the other one (no description) quite a fright. For the few seconds that they were still conscious as within seconds Malone had attacked them in a similar matter and knocked them well into next Monday.

Ash approached Malone now with a serious sense of caution. Ash had at first wanted to believe that the stories were exaggerated but now he wasn't so sure. Malone seemed to see him coming and waved him over to the car. Ash nervously complied, he saw that Brock was already here looking over what seemed to be the Malone armory in the trunk of the car. An assortment of pistols (poppers), revolvers (Big Poppers), machine guns (Straightshooters), shotguns (Boomsticks), shock sticks (Tazers) and more were assorted in the trunk. Malone was also carrying a pair of sub-machine guns (Subs) and Pistols at his side, not to mention two big sharp Machetes (machetes) at his side as well. The man looked as if he could take an army on in a one vs. a million and still win by a landslide.

Malone approached Ash the rest of the way (seeing the obvious fear in his eyes it was the only way that he would come within 20 meters). Malone greeted Ash with a simple "Morning" and Ash responded similarly. "Alrighty then princess (points to Ash) and Jock (points to Brock) if we are going to rescue Cerulean then we do things my way, any questions and I whop your ass". Rather than taking the friendly "we can do this" approach Malone had opted that they begin with a more Commander in Chief and his swabbies kind of relationship. "First of all we are going the long way around…" Ash immediately violated rule numero uno with a "but the longer we take to get there the more chance the water Pokémon have to attack". Ash's bitching was brought to a swift and most likely uncomfortable end (at least on his end anyway) with a swift punch to the stomach. "Now then as I was saying, you can't take on an entire army with one Hunter, a princess, and a Jock, you need several competent individuals which is the reason for the detour" Ash grumbled, one because he'd been punched in the stomach but also because the name princess probably didn't sit well with whatever shred of manhood he had left. "In Vermillion, and Cinnabar I have some friends who owe favors so we'll need to stop by them". Brock nodded his head, obviously out of a crippling fear of being punched in the stomach, and Malone decided to go into further depth about his plans. "We first go south through Pallet town and from there we catch a boat and head to Cinnabar island, we grab my buddy TK and from there head up to Vermillion, pick up my buddy Steve, and from there we land at the abandoned dock near Celadon and cut through the forest paths" Ash, still trying to assert himself into the monologue, asked "wouldn't it be easier to cut through Saffron?" "NO" Malone quickly responded, "we go through the forest paths outside of Celadon and head from there up to Cerulean where we defend it from the coming horde from the ocean line". (For those PokePets out there who are asking what happened to the Rock Tunnel and Power Plant… Guess).

Malone loaded up his two deadweight companions into the car and cranked _Highway to Hell_ to max on the radio and began his journey. After Pewter, Celadon, Saffron, and Lavender Malone was excited with the prospect of possibly having a bloody victory in this goddamn war. Of course there was still the Kanto government to worry about (that's the reason people haven't been evacuated) but Malone wasn't worried as frankly the option of shooting them was always readily available. He clutched the locket around his neck and breathed deeply before donning his sunglasses, revving the engine, and heading off onto the road to what was (hopefully) going to be the greatest victory that he could hope to achieve in his lifetime.

PS. I promise this is the last intro chapter and we'll get to the story next time.


	3. Chapter 3:Celadon Massacre

_The first place to fall to the Pokémon was Celadon city. Once a place of harmony between nature and technology it became a desolate monument to the death and destruction that was to follow for the rest of the war. It also marked the first of a series of losses for the Hunters and the beginning of the intervention of the Kanto government in the case of the war._

From the journal of Professor Oak

It had been a long day for Malone, Ash, and Brock and so still a ways away from Pallet town they decided to stop and camp out for the evening. Ash offered to build the fire and set up the camp, Malone actually was impressed at this. As Ash started the fire with a minimal amount of wood and effort (not to mention he also didn't disturb the wildlife) Malone complimented him, "you're pretty good at this huh Kid". Ash shook his head in agreement, "well we Pokémon trainers did live in these woods more than in our own homes, despite the hate you Hunters have for us we could teach you a few things". Malone rolled his eyes, "I don't hate trainers Kid" "Really?" Ash asked both quizzically and sarcastically (with a hint of rhetoric) "I thought all Hunters hated trainers?" Brock asked to soothe the tension. "No" Malone replied "they hate people who can't let go of the past and hate them for trying to preserve the future" "then why were you such a jerk to Ash earlier?" Brock asked. Suddenly Malone felt like he was being ganged up on, "Sorry, I've been through a lot of this war and when people aren't all on the same page and aren't working off the same plan" Malone paused for a moment, a sad look upon his face, a look in his eyes like he had just wrestled up horrendous memories from the depths of his psyche that hurt just thinking of, "People die, A lot of people die". Malone finished his words softly almost in a whisper. "Sorry" Ash replied, Malone's smile suddenly returned to his face "Why? You didn't do anything" Malone took a swig of the water bottle in his hand, "I'm sure you've both heard of the places I've been, and the things I've seen" "You mean like in Celadon?" Brock asked. "Yeah" Ash replied "The big first battle between the Hunters and the Pokémon". Malone burst into laughter, almost creepily he replied "Is that what they're calling it now" he laughed a bit more "The first big 'battle' was it" he laughed more almost shedding tears. The seriousness returned to his face "It was no battle Kid" he said to Ash "it was a massacre, it was the Pokémon showing us that they could kill us easier than anyone had anticipated, the Pokémon, the grass Pokémon had taken positions In the buildings, when you can shoot razor leaves and vines that's more deadly than any amount of men with machine guns". "Could you tell us about it" Ash asked him, "Why" "because it might help us understand you more". Malone sighed and answered "Sure, well I was seventeen when it happened, we were hired by the Kanto government, a bunch of us, somewhere between 60 maybe 70 guys to go to Celadon and clean out the compost, but they were waiting for us, and they had one hell of a plan"

Malone and, about 60-70 other Hunters that were hired by the Kanto government, were moving quickly through the forest that connected Vermillion and Celadon. He felt a mix of anxiety and excitement, of the dangers that may await them, and the good that they will be able to do. Two other Hunters that were about his age came up to Malone. "Excited, man" the long-haired boy spoke, "Well duh, aren't we all" the short-haired girl remarked. The two introduced themselves as Tony and Mary, two friends who were, like Malone, seventeen and, like plenty of others there, knew who he was. Tony apparently didn't just know him from stories of his exploits but was apparently present during one of them. Tony began reciting said story, the time when Malone bare-fistedly defeated a Machoke. "Dude I remember it like it were yesterday, it was in Vermillion, and this Machoke started beating people up. Then you just walked in and that damn Pokémon bastard threw the first punch, and boom! It broke this table into like a gashimillion pieces but you went in and bam got him right in the face…" "Hey we're at Celadon so keep your goddamn voices down". They were finally here, Celadon, the attack was suppose to begin soon according to a captured Bulbasaur so the Hunters were to wait in the city and counter the Pokémon once they tried to attack. Tony ran out of the forest and into the daylight of Celadon where a few frightened people were hanging around in the middle of the city. "Hey guys, no need to fear the Hunters are here, Whoop!" Malone was about to tell him to stay back and that it wasn't right for so few people to be out and about but it was too late. "Tony get the hell back" Mary yelled, Tony turned around but suddenly looked pale, blood started to drip from his mouth until he jerked upwards once more only to fall forwards, revealing the Razor Leaves lodged in his back. "TONY!!!!" Mary yelled running forwards, suddenly vines expanded outwards from the nearby building grabbing Mary; she shot off the gun in her hands but to no avail as the vines pulled her towards the building where she got stuck on some broken glass from the window from which the vines expended. Blood started flowing from her mouth as the vines heaved and hoed in order to get her inside finally succeeding on the third pull. All this happened within seconds; Malone lost both of his new friends in a matter of seconds. The Hunters had been tricked into a surprise assault by the Pokémon. The few people left in the square screamed and tried to fun only to have a Weepinbell drop down from a nearby building and eat the girl whole and chopped the heads of the man and the young boy off with a well placed razor leaf. The Hunters only had one choice left to them, "Charge" one Hunter yelled, "Kill them" another shouted, shouts of macho cheer rang throughout the city and the Hunters attacked hoping to reclaim both land and life in what would be known as the first "battle" of the Pokémon war.

Malone charged in with the rest of the Hunters, gun raised and at the ready, hoping to take out the bastards who took the lives of his new friends. The Hunters sprayed bullets into the buildings hoping to hit one of the Pokémon who had taken up residence in them. Malone switched his gun to burst fire and started with the vines that were now beginning to envelop the building that had taken Mary. Bullets connected with the vines and muffled screaming noises came from the building. Two long objects were shot out of one of the windows and fell to the ground, they were Mary's, or at least some woman's, legs. Malone pulled the pin on one of the four grenades he was carrying and threw it inside the building. The explosion sent bits of debris and plant flying from one end of the building. Malone ran further in and started spraying bullets into the buildings. The Hunters were in a discord, they all started shooting at whichever building the razor leaves were coming from at that point in time. Hunters got arms chopped off by incoming razor leaves while others were dragged into buildings and still others were merely vaulted into the air only to fall back to the ground with a sickening splat. Malone looked over and saw the department store, which was out of view from the entrance the Hunters, came through had vines protruding from all over. Malone switched to full automatic and joined a small group of about fifteen Hunters in spraying bullets all over the department store. Another small group started a charge towards the Celadon city Gym, hoping to take out the Victrebell who was trying to poke his way through the windows. Two Hunters approached spraying bullets into the large vicious plant. It screamed and spat out a poisonous fluid at them which caused them to melt on impact. One other shot a rocket at it causing it to explode into several bits, but its place was soon taken up by about three more of its kind. Someone looked through the windows into the Gym and yelled, "Survivors, we've got, Survivors in here".

Malone looked over at the Gym, "survivors?" he whispered, it was a chance to do some good here. Malone started running like he had a purpose, because he did, spraying bullets at the vines covering the door, he turned sideways slightly and rammed the door with all his might opening it and revealing the gym leader Ericka and a few others trapped inside. "Move, Move" Malone cried, Ericka helped some of the injured girls up and they all started running out the door. A small child cried "my bear" pointing to the stuffed Teddiursa on the floor. Ericka ran back and grabbed the bear, throwing it to Malone who gave it to the girl. The girls ran out of the gym, and then a vine pushed Malone inside and shut the door behind him. Ericka stood in the only lighted part of the gym as she asked "are you…" her words trailed off as vines descended from the ceiling grabbing hold of her. Malone switched gun to single shot and started to pick off the vines, but for every one he took out two more dropped down. The vines began wrapping themselves around Ericka squeezing her in some places, groping others. She screamed "help" to which Malone's reply was "I'm trying". The vines began undressing her and two others started to squeeze the blood from her arms. Malone realized that there was only one way to end her pain, he lifted his gun and pulled the trigger, one bullet flew forward and shot Ericka right between the eyes. The vines didn't really seem to notice as they continued their conquest of the corpse of Celadon's gym leader. Malone pounded on the door hoping that someone would notice that he was still inside but he eventually just laid back and fell to the ground. Out of bullets all he could do was sit there and wait for help. The next day help came as a few of the surviving Hunters helped him out of the dilapidated gym he saw what the battle had wrought. The buildings were covered in vines, flowers, and Pokémon, dead bodies were scattered throughout the city, it became painfully obvious of who was victorious. "Come on Malone we have to get out before nightfall". "What" Malone asked, one of the other three still alive said "the Pokémon are plants, while the suns out they are absorbing energy, so as long as we don't make ourselves noticeable we'll make it out alive". Malone and the others quickly exited the city leaving a horrid loss behind them.

When Malone had finished his story, Brock and Ash's faces had gone white. Almost everything that they had been told about the battle was a lie. "Dear God" Ash exclaimed aloud. "It's no wonder why you hate trainers like us; I mean what those Pokémon did." Malone shook his head, "Ash I told you, I don't hate trainers" Malone sat back readying himself for sleep. "Why not, I mean if it weren't for us capturing them and all maybe they wouldn't be like this" Ash persisted. Malone simply replied "Because Kid, I used to be one."


	4. Chapter 4: Pallet Pitstop

Sorry it took so long but I've been doing a web show on youtube called The Geek Speaks my user name is doomhammer128 so if you guys subscribed to that it would be really cool.

Again I don't own anything except for Christopher Malone, he's my bitch

_They called me mad, mad for making a habitat for the remnants of the bugs from viridian forest, mad for studying them, mad for trying to figure out what happened, mad for caring, mad for loving, if that's madness then I see why the Pokémon tried to rebel, and I'm happy they succeeded._

_From the journal of professor Oak._

The morning after Malone's horrible story Ash felt like Malone and the hunters may be in the right when it comes to killing the Pokémon rather than hold out for Oak's research. "All right we're heading for Pallet, pile in guys we finish the drive today" Malone yelled to them from his car. Ash and Brock piled in the back and they proceeded towards Pallet town.

I guess I should explain what's happened to good old Pallet Town huh. Well before the hunters burned down Viridian forest the town decided to protect itself by building a fortified wall with flamethrowers mounted on top and guards on the top 24/7 however when the forest burned down the wall didn't come with it and the people of pallet became recluses only allowing people in for short spurts to use the docks which were built there. But, you may be asking, what about Professor Oak, well. Professor Oak captured Pokémon and brought them back to his labs to attempt to understand the rebellion and see if he couldn't find a way to get them to back down. The rest of Kanto, especially the Emergency Bureau, EB for short, declared him a mad man but pallet stood by him and allowed him to continue his research without the rest of the world getting in the way.

Malone stopped the car before the barricade, the pallet guard yelled over the wall, "who are you" "Christopher Malone, Ash Ketchum, and Brock, we are here to catch a boat to cinnabar." The guard opened the gates and Malone and crew entered into Pallet. Ash looked at the town called pallet and wished he was dreaming. The houses were rusting, people hid inside the crumbling homes rather than converse in the open, and the towns central landmark, the lab of professor Oak, surrounded by overgrowth and riddled with holes, some from rust, others from… Ash ran to the lab running as fast as he could, "Stop" the guards yelled for him but Ash wouldn't hear them, Oak was his friend, his mentor, almost like a grandfather to him, Ash had to see if he was ok. Ash made it inside the lab and was immediately greeted with a foul odor exuding from every square inch. It smelled like death, Ash walked further inwards and saw the dead corpse of a Beedrill on the ground, "Hey" Malone yelled into Ash's ear, somehow managing to sneak up on him. "what are you doing" "Oak is my friend I have to see if… see if…" "all right then" Malone inhaled deeply "OAK" "Hey Where are you Geezer" Malone yelled further into the compound. The guards came in trying to pull the two out when Oak emerged from the darkness ahead.

Oak was dressed in a tattered lab coat and smelled as if he hadn't bathed in years, his stubble had turned into a consistently unkempt beard, his glasses were smudged, and his eyes had lost the brightness they once exhumed. "Oak" Ash spoke under his breath, "Hey" Malone said to Oak walking towards him, "Malone, and Ash, where did you to come from" he spoke softly and in sputters as if it had been so long since he spoke that the forming of words became a struggle. "Professor it's been a while" Ash said to him, "that it has Ash, say how was Johto I told you it would be great didn't I" "Yeah but you sent me there years ago…" Ash trailed off realizing that the professor didn't remember; "So Oak how are you" Malone tried to keep the conversation going. "Terrific and how about you Chris, how's the Elite Four treating you" Ash couldn't believe his ears, the Elite Four? Malone? It didn't seem possible and yet the professor hadn't shown any signs that he was imagining things so could it be true? Ash looked at Malone and saw that he had a truly sad look on his face as if the professor had brought forth a truly hideous memory, Malone put on a fake smile and answered "terrific" "good" Oak said, suddenly the professor's expression changed as if he remembered something, "Ash, Malone, when did you get in here?" Ash wanted to answer that they had been there the whole time but Malone interrupted him. "We just got here actually, we're catching a boat to cinnabar to get some friends of mine to go hunting with me". Oak looked to Ash, "Ash when would a good boy like you ever need the help of a Pokémon Hunter" Oak spat pronouncing the last two words as if they were dirty to him, Ash couldn't believe the sudden gear shift, a minute ago Oak was normal Oak circa a couple of years ago but how could he now just hate Malone like that? "Well" Oak spoke up, "I believe I'm getting closer to synthesizing a compound that will domesticate the Pokémon once again, and then your… services will no longer be required" Oak spat in Malone's direction again implying he wasn't a fan. "Well I'll be seeing you Oak" Malone waved and made his exit from the building. "Ash how could you get caught up with such trash" Oak asked, "He's helping save Cerulean" "With guns rather than words, or science" "he's helping save Misty" "To hell with him" Ash, taken aback, ran out of the lab.

Ash couldn't really believe the words that had been coming out of Oak's mouth one minute he was just as Ash remembered him, loving and caring and then the next he was a hateful man with nothing but spite filling him. "If one is secluded from the world long enough one begins to lose the concept of time, and of course the senility that comes with increasingly old age only compounds the problem." Malone's words snapped ash out of his trance and he remembered what Oak had asked of Malone. It didn't seem possible, Malone was a hunter, he signed up for the raid on Celadon, how could he have been a member of the Elite Four… Ash's thoughts trailed off as he heard a familiar voice. "Ash, is that you sweetie" Ash looked over and saw his mother was standing there. "Mom" Ash ran over and gave his mother a hug, it had been too long since he was last here in Pallet, even though it was a quick stop he wanted to enjoy some semblance of normalcy.

Malone watched Ash spring into his mothers arms and suddenly wished he was in Ash's shoes, back in his home safe and with the ones he loved the most. Malone thought back to the day that he left his home and family in Saffron city to go out and become a trainer…

Malone's thoughts brought him back to being a 10-year-old boy growing up in Saffron city. His parents were breeders of rare and valuable Pokémon and so they often went out and about to train, capture, and sell their Pokémon. For a while as he was just a baby, he went along with his parents and was even allowed to keep a rare Abra that they found, however eventually Team Rocket came into the picture attempting to snatch his parents Pokémon for themselves. Eventually the Rockets found the hotel that his parents were staying at once in Vermillion and attacked. They called upon their own Pokémon to destroy the base of the hotel crumbling it to the ground, content with the knowledge that if the Pokémon survived they would be weakened for capture and if not at least no one else would get their hands on them. Despite Team Rockets current track record this attack succeeded as they used Primeates and Machokes to crumble the building structure and the rest was simply clean up for anyone unfortunate enough to have survived the buildings collapse. After that Malone was granted his parents home and a small bit of welfare by Saffron due to the devastation the city felt after they lost their dear friends. Malone remembered that the day after his parents were declared dead but before he was given his home it was raining and he, refusing to stay at an orphanage or being declared an Orphan, stayed outside in the rain with only his Abra to keep him company. However then she walked over to him with her jet-black hair and cold demeanor she offered him an extra umbrella, "thanks" he said, Abra similarly thanked her, "you have an Abra too" she stated, "Yeah, he's my best friend, probably my only friend at this point" "well she said, you have me" "well what is your name." the girl pulled her black hair to the side and simply stated, "My name's Sabrina" the two shook hands unbeknownst to the fun and the pain that lay ahead in the relationship to follow. Neither knew it at that time but the two were going to fall in love.


	5. Chapter 5: Flashback to brighter days

_Recognizing the significance of the past is the first step in overcoming it, this is the mantra recited by the Pokémon Hunters during the initiation and it is coincidently the same thing Pokémon historians used to say, when they were still around._

_Pokémon Hunters: _by Professor Oak

Christopher Malone was, back in saffron anyway, a happy child after his parents died the daughter of the local gym leader, Sabrina, became his friend and the two hung out all the time. At first Sabrina was cold and unfeeling even towards her new friend but after a while she began to open up and became more open, to her friend anyway. Her father was strict and cold, being the gym leader this was expected, but he was also a brilliant psychic and after a few years Sabrina began to show the same latent talent.

Several years passed and eventually Malone reached the age of 12 the age at which most would head out for their Pokémon journey and teach the world about the power of psychic Pokémon. However Malone didn't leave at first because he thought it would be more fun to head out on his Pokémon journey with his longtime friend Sabrina. They always used to tell stories about how someday they would become the most powerful Pokémon team the world had ever seen, "We'll be the best their was, is, or will be" Malone used to say, Sabrina would just laugh it off "Yeah I'll use psybeam" "and I'll do it at the same time, ready Abra" the little Pokémon nodded, "Ready, Psybeam" the two jumped into a pose, reaching one hand outwards while keeping the other on their foreheads" Sabrina laughed and would usually at this time be called away by her father to take part in more psychic training to make her stronger.

Two more years passed and Sabrina's 12th birthday arrived, Malone prepared for their journey to begin only to meet with disappointment the next day. The disappointment came on two fronts, first sabrina's abra evolved before malone's and also she wasn't allowed to go on her journey. Her father decided that her psychic power required even more training and that it obviously would not impede her Pokémon growth since abra had evolved despite the fact that she had yet to leave the city. Malone decided the next day that he would go on his journey alone.

"why are you leaving we only have to wait a couple more years and then we can go on our journey together as friends and become" "the greatest their ever was, is, or will be" Malone finished "but that can't happen if I'm as behind the curve as I am now" Sabrina looked puzzled "what do you mean" she asked, "Your Abra is better than mine, your psychic skills surpass mine, you are a better trainer than me" "that's not…" Sabrina tried to finish but she knew it was true.

"Just you wait, I'll come back in a few years and by then my Abra will be an Alakazam and I'll be just as good as you are" Malone promised, "Ok" Sabrina responded "and we can run the gym as a team" "yeah" Malone yelled "Team Alakazam" Abra tried his best to imitate but there were a couple of words that he couldn't say. "Ok" Sabrina said, "You'll be back in a few years" "Yeah" Malone said, "but you have to train just as hard so that you and I will be on equal footing" "sure" Sabrina responded. Malone stalled but then started to walk off, once he left the city's borders he slapped himself on head, "I should have hugged her, damnit I'm stupid" he slapped himself again and Abra imitated. "Oh well, I'll just have to remember to give her two hugs when I get back huh" Abra nodded in agreement. "All right time to see the world"

Malone awoke realizing that he was not in fact starting his Pokémon journey but was in asleep on the deck of the S.S. Morte a Hunter ship making runs to Cinnabar island. Malone awoke in one of the cabins in the ship. "How did I get here" Malone wondered aloud. "Those two guys you were with brought you on here" stated a large burly man wearing a ship captain's cap. "What they carried me?" "No I did that part, they were just worried that they would miss the ship" Malone shook his head wondering how, or when for that matter, he found the time to fall asleep on the job. "This has never happened before" Malone said aloud, "Never" he repeated. "First time for everything" the ship captain stated, "Maybe you've been working to hard and it just caught up with you." Malone again shook his head, he knew better than that; he had been sleeping a little but not enough. It might have been true; maybe he was working to hard; but still it was for a purpose he could possibly save lives, more than he had saved in the past! He could finally become the person he had always wanted to be, He would be a hero.

The captain left Malone in the room simply saying "Get some sleep, you'll need it from what those kids told me" "Yeah, you're right" Malone settled back into the bed, "Wait, One more thing" "Yeah" "Thank them for me would you" The ship captain smiled at him "Of course." with that he shut the door leaving Malone alone to get some sleep and prepare for the days ahead. In the coming weeks Malone, Ash, and Brock would be tested greatly in order to save cerulean city. Malone simply thought to himself "I can save this one". His mind drifted off and he fell asleep with only the thoughts of Celadon and Saffron to keep him company.


	6. Chapter 6

_Dragons, a particularly vicious type of Pokémon. Monsters with thick scales that bullets barely pierced. They excelled at long range combat, so one day a madman thought, "What if we fight the up close"? This was the birth of the elites of the Pokémon hunters, The Dragon hunters._

_Pokémon Hunters, _By Professor Oak

Ash stood on the deck of the ship headed for Cinnabar Island, there they would meet up with some others who would hopefully help them to save Cerulean city. Ash saw Malone come up from the lower decks and immediately ran over to question him "Do we know for sure that these friends of yours are going to help us save Cerulean?" Malone staggered backwards obviously having just woke up. "No we don't" he replied. "Then why are we going there, we could just go to Cerulean ourselves and…" "And what" Ash stopped, he wanted to get there to help Misty sooner rather than later. "We won't be of any use by ourselves" Malone said. "Hey guys" Brock yelled "Ceruleans on TV" Ash rushed over hoping that the news wasn't too bad.

Malone walked over to the TV, he wasn't expecting anything good but at the very least he wanted to know that the town he was trying to save still had people in it to save. Malone sat there tuning out the voice of the news anchor simply waiting for the video footage from Cerulean to show that it was still there. Eventually the News people did switch over to the direct video footage and Malone was taken aback. The worst thing that could have happened had happened; the government was taking control of Cerulean. A couple of soldiers were in front of the camera talking about how they secured the area, but Malone wasn't listening, all he saw was Celadon restaged with new actors, but the ending was still the part that worried him.

"Hey guys we're pretty close to shore" the captain yelled over the intercom. Ash couldn't believe what he was seeing, they had completely sealed off Cerulean, no one goes in and no one comes out was the policy that the soldiers repeated for the television broadcasters. One of the on site reporters asked the key question; why was no one leaving? The Kanto army replied that while it was a tough call, they weren't going to lose this city and that they were going to use the civilians as bait to lure the Pokémon out. "If we evacuate then they may not come after us because they see us as a threat with no reward, After all they are water-dwellers so they probably will just leave." "Why is that a bad thing?" Ash questioned aloud, "Because that means that they can come back at any time to hurt someone else." Ash hated to admit it but he saw Malone's point, they either fought them all now, risking civilian lives or they fought later unprepared with a much lower chance for success. "Don't worry to much Ash" Brock said, "They are keeping them all inside the Gym, when the battle starts." "Yeah" Malone walked off, Ash stopped him, "We'll help them then." Malone stopped, "Malone, the reason me and Brock hired you was because we heard you were one of the best, They could use a few extra guns and people who know how to use them" Malone cheered up a little and felt selfish for wanting to be the sole liberator of Cerulean, "Yeah, lets go we're parked and we leave tomorrow at this same time, now we go and we look for some of my buds willing to take the ultimate risk" Ash stopped him "One last question" Malone turned "Why couldn't we call them or something" "Out of respect" "Respect?" "Yeah, Dragon Hunters prefer to talk to each other in person."

Dragon Hunters, the words echoed in Ash's mind as he tried to make sense of them. First of all, they knew that Malone was good, but no one mentioned him being a Dragon Hunter. Also these "friends" that he wanted to recruit were also Dragon Hunters. For a brief moment Ash allowed his hopes for success to soar, a team of Dragon Hunters! This was something that had never happened, most of the time people became Dragon hunters for the money and thus preferred working alone and would never risk such an operation as to attempt to protect Cerulean. Ash, Malone, and Brock all stepped out of the boat and onto Cinnabar Island. The dock was far from villages so they set out on foot to get to the main village. Along the way they were ambushed by a couple of vulpix. Brock held a pistol up but couldn't bear to put a bullet in the cute little fox Pokémon. Malone however simply whipped out his double barrel and shot the little ones dead. Malone grabbed Brock by the shirt held him up and said "Do Not Hesitate" he put him down and continued to walk when Ash stopped him, "Brock used to have a Vulpix" Ash said "Don't you have any sentimentality?" Malone sighed and continued to walk. "What if you had to kill a Pokémon that you used to raise?" Malone stopped cold "stop right there" he said softly "No" Ash continued, "I appreciate the fact that you are helping us, but I'm not impressed with the shoot first, talk later, macho bullshit" Malone stood stiff, unmoving. "Oak" Ash stopped, took a breath, and continued, "Oak said that you were part of the Elite Four" Malone nodded his head slightly, "Was it true" "Yes" "Then you raised a Pokémon" "Obviously" "What if you had to kill them" Malone didn't answer, "I asked a question" Ash shouted, "Ash calm down" Brock said quickly. Malone muttered something inaudible. "What?" Ash asked softer this time. "I did have to kill them," Malone repeated. Suddenly a group came out from the underbrush, the group were all pretty heavily armed and seemed to be Pokémon hunters. One of them, whom Ash assumed was the leader, came forth; on his hip he had the same type of bladed weapon, a machete, as Malone did. "Dragon Hunter" Ash whispered, he had never met another with the exception of Malone. "May your blade fly true" the mysterious newcomer spoke "And pierce the beasts heart" Malone continued, "Lest its fire burns you," they both said in unison. "Malone" the newcomer said simply, "Welcome to Cinnabar Island" he said as he hugged Malone. "It's good to see you Max" Malone responded. Malone turned around, "Ash, Brock, meet Maximillion Douchet, Dragon Hunter" Ash, and Brock bowed respectfully, "Now, Now there's no need for such formalities" Ash took a good look at Max, he was a skinny man, with dark black skin, his head was shaved and he wore a chest holster housing two pistols, and at his side on both sides were twin Machetes with red skinned hilts, and on the blades was the scratching of a Gyrados. "Come now all of you into the city" Max said motioning through the forest. "City?" remarked Ash, "Yes, we morphed the small village-like atmosphere of Cinnabar into a technological dream town". Ash and crew continued through the forest, but Ash simply couldn't shake what Malone had said, "I did have to kill them". Ash felt remorse for asking the question yet also he knew he had to inquire more about what Malone had been faced with in order to fully understand exactly what horrors Malone had faced.

Ash and the others stepped into the doors of Cinnabar city, a city hidden in the rocky wall of one of Cinnabar's caves, and looked upon the city. It was clear that the Pokémon Hunters ran it as their symbols were plastered everywhere, not to mention contact information for various hunters typed on pieces of paper and stuck to any clean surface. The buildings were relatively large, in fact it reminded Ash of the days before the Pokémon rebellion when places like Celadon still stood proud and tall. That wasn't to say the city didn't have its faults, despite the large buildings seemingly standing as either dedicated Barracks or Science Labs their were many homeless around the city, sleeping in collects of hammocks and cots spread across large areas like the central square. Ash bit his lip in disgust; the Hunters had lavish looking Barracks but so many people slept on cots without a roof or heat for cold nights. Ash looked upon many shivering children lying across their parent's chest to conserve cot space and looked back towards Malone and Max. Neither seemed to notice or care almost as if these people's health and welfare weren't the important thing! "So, Malone what do you think?" Max looked over to his friend who seemed lost in thought, "What's with the DMZ look?" Max looked puzzled but then looked from the cots back to Malone, "Oh, right, well we've had a lot of people hanging around after they heard that their were a bunch of Hunters here, and Dragon Hunters at that" Max put his hand on the hilt of the blade at his side looking proud "So we haven't been able to up production on housing just yet." Ash asked the question that he actually had since he had seen Malone's blades "So why use swords against Dragon type Pokémon instead of the guns?" Ash waited for the inevitable 'What are you stupid?' back handed response from Malone but Max piped in "The only thing we have that can easily pierce a Dragon's scales is a certain mineral we call Big-Ass-Diamonds" Ash and Malone chuckled "However these BAD's are not easy to come by, only found in certain caves that the mon have already claimed" Malone continued for him "So rather than make bullets out of them we made these blades, that's also why it takes so much training and testing to become a Dragon Hunter these things are damn hard to come by and even tougher to smelt and shape." Malone unsheathed his blade and handed it to Ash, Ash picked it up and was shocked at how light it felt, Malone motioned to the rock face next to him and Ash swung the blade landing it deep within the rock. "Wow" Brock exclaimed "It cut through the rock like nothing!" Ash was even more surprised he had barely put his effort into swinging the blade and it dug in that far, he took the blade out and handed it back to Malone, "Not bad at all". Suddenly a roar was heard outside but before any of them could question it an alarm was sounded. "Charizard, I repeat, Charizard" a voice over an intercom screamed the sound of worry echoing in his voice. "Damnit" Max exclaimed he started to run back but Malone grabbed his hands. "If I help you kill that thing will you help us in Cerulean?" Max smirked "That's it" "you help me kill a Charizard I'll run through Celadon naked with a piece of lettuce around my junk" The two friends laughed and unsheathed their blades running back towards the exit, Ash followed he didn't really know why he was charging into danger, maybe Malone was rubbing off on him.


	7. Chapter 7

_The flames of Cinnabar Island flew high on the day that the Pokémon rebelled. The flames of Charizards, and Magmar's burned the sun and sky._

From the Journal of Professor Oak

Ash ran out of the cave and saw the Charizard breathing flames into the sky. The Charizard's red scales glistened amidst the morning light, Ash's mind fled back into memories of his own Charizard. Despite the fact that he almost never listened to him Ash still remembered and treasured him as a friend, he hoped sincerely that this wasn't the same Charizard. Ash saw as eight to nine Hunters readied weapons of various kinds around him, with one of them using a megaphone to bark out orders to the others. Malone and Max readied their blades and grabbed a few grenades and a pistol each. "I thought that the guns weren't effective," Brock shouted as he ran out after Ash. "They get his attention," Max shouted back. "Help's to distract him from the guy stabbing him in the back." Malone stated. Ash looked up at the Charizard as an order rang out through the air "Give him Hell!" the man with the megaphone shouted and in unison the various Hunters fired various machine guns at the Charizard. "RAWRR" the Charizard screeched out in pain, while not technically a Dragon type Charizard was designated as one because of the largeness of its scales, Gyrados received similar treatment. Ash looked up at the beast and saw it's muscles tense; he grabbed Max and Malone back. "Hey" Max screamed "We've got to get up there" he points to two other Hunters who have started climbing up the mountain towards the Charizard, "Crap" Ash muttered. The Charizard threw his claws down into the mountainside and let out a roar "RAWRR" the shockwave of the claws hitting the mountain causes one of the Hunters to lose his grip and fall, his head roles off of the mountain leaving a trail of blood and guts across the way. The other Hunter stumbled a bit but kept his balance.

"You knew what the bastard was going to do!" Malone shouted over the screams and gunfire. "I used to have a Charizard myself, I've seen them in action." Ash shouted back. Malone grabbed the megaphone from the other hunter and handed it over to Ash. "Tell us his movements as best you can" Malone and Max started up the mountain towards the Charizard. The Charizard took in breath, "It's a fire blast" Ash shouted up, Malone hugged the mountain stopping his climb. The Charizard let out a blast of fire from his mouth, the blast engulfed a group of hunters on the ground. The hunter on the mountainside started firing at the Charizard with his pistol, trying to get its attention. The Charizard took the bait and started swinging his claws at the mountainside; Malone and Max took this as an opportunity to start climbing again. Eventually they reached the Charizard, they took out their blades and dug them into the Charizards scales. "RAWRR" the creature screamed in pain as the blades dug into his side, Malone and Max started to use the two blades to climb the Charizard. The Charizard started to swing his claws at his side to throw the two Hunters off, until an explosion landed squarely in his chest. Malone looked down to see that Ash had taken a Rocket Launcher and was helping them. He saluted Ash and continued his climb, Max split off towards his chest cavity and the other Hunter also started climbing the Charizard's left side towards his wings.

Malone began climbing towards the head of the beast and looked down for a second to see Max. Max was firing a rifle at the Charizards chin trying to keep its attention away from the other hunters. "RAWRR" the monster cried swatting at its stomach trying to dislodge the man swinging from a blade on it. The hunter on the side opposite Malone began pumping shotgun shells into the creature's wings, tearing them apart. "RAWRR" the Charizard screamed; "No, jump!" Ash screamed at the Hunter on the side, but he ignored Ash's warning. The monster slammed its body into the side of the mountain; a large squishing noise could have been heard if not for the gunfire. When the Charizard peeled itself away from the wall a bloodstain was left where the Hunter used to be. Malone finally finished climbing up the Charizard to the beast's head; Malone signaled to Max who stopped firing at the chin, he pulled his blade out falling a few feet and punching the blade back in so he could slow his descent. Malone breathed in and out waiting for his opening. "RAWRR" the creature shouted as he began to swing his claws down, Malone pulled the pin from a grenade and threw it into the monsters mouth. He released his blades as well punching them back in after falling a few more feet away from the Charizard's head. The explosion blew apart the creatures head as the body fell forward and crashed into the hard earth. Malone jumped off the creatures back and onto the ground. Ash ran up to the dead Charizard, he saw the blood gushing from the place its head used to be, Malone could see a small light of regret in Ash's eyes, he didn't blame him. In fact it was kind of refreshing to travel with someone whose soul hadn't been sucked out by the horrors of war.

Clean up, essentially just meant throwing the Charizards body into the volcano at the top of Cinnabar Island. It took nearly the whole village but they did manage to get it up there and launch its remains, sans any edible portions of its body that had already been cut off, into the volcano. Max ran up to Ash, "Hey, listen man we couldn't have done it without you" Ash nodded in thanks but clearly wasn't in a celebratory mood. "Look on the bright side, the meat from this thing will help to feed those people in the cave you saw." Ash nodded to this as well, he neglected to mention that while food was good, an actual house would be good as well. Malone grabbed Ash's shoulder "You did good, particularly considering you've never fought a dragon before…" "Actually I have" Ash piped in. "I may have never fought a 'Dragon' type with guns but I have fought them." Malone released his grip and walked off; it wasn't easy, making your first kill.

That night there was a huge party thrown inside of the Cinnabar City Caves; Ash was enjoying some cake and charred Charizard when three hunters approached him. "Hey there, you did great out there." One of the guys said, "Yeah, it's almost like you knew what it was thinking." Ash insistently shook his head, "I used to have a Charizard, so I knew a few things, and also it seemed kind of groggy." The three hunters looked confused. "That thing was sleepy?" Malone walked up to the three "Makes sense that was the easiest Dragon kill I've ever made." Malone shooed the three away to talk to Ash alone. "You got to enjoy the little things kid." "Ash" "hmm" "If you respect me for making my first kill call me Ash" "Alright Ash." Malone grabbed a chunk of Charizard from the buffet table and started to chow down. "So that's how Dragon Hunters operate huh" Malone looked up from his dinner to Ash, "Yeah, we uh, well we don't last long in this business." Ash looked over to Malone "But you've been in the game for years right." "There are a few of us yeah." Ash just had to ask. "So only the very best survive" Malone laughed heartily at the implication. "Trust me kid I ain't one of 'the best'" Ash pursued the matter "You passed your Dragon Hunter test the first attempt." "Most do; often those who fail don't survive; Dragonite's get hungry you know." "Well still, you and Max have been at this for years, you have to be at least among the best, that's the whole reason I hired you to help me get Misty out of there." Malone took another bite out of his meal, "People over emphasize my accomplishments." Ash was beginning to get upset, he had been told he was hiring the best, while it was good that he didn't brag, he hated the idea that someone who was supposed to rescue Misty didn't feel confidant enough to do so. "Celadon City" "Surviving a massacre isn't the same thing as winning", "You're a Dragon Hunter" "Many others are as well" Ash sighed and went to the Charizard buffet immediately. He knew that while Malone wouldn't admit it he was one of the best that the Hunters had to offer.

The next day Ash woke up bright and early to see that Malone was talking with Max outside. "I'm dead serious here Max" "I can see that, dead being a key word." Malone was pacing back and forth beside the table that Max was seated at, while Max ate some of the left over Charizard. "You promised that you'd be with me on this." Ash was taken aback, was Max trying to weasel out of being part of Malone's team to stop the advance on Cerulean? "I will be, if you decide…" "I have decided, I decided a long time ago, maybe if you weren't sure you could handle this than you shouldn't have offered it up." "I thought you were kidding." Ash walked out from his hiding place "What?" Malone and Max looked up, "Those people are going to die." Ash screamed, "The army can handle themselves" "You know that's bullshit Max" Malone leaned in as Max backed up in his chair now surrounded on both sides. "We've never seen them in action, maybe they are just as good as we are." Max looked to Malone "Malone, Chris buddy, I know you feel guilty because of Celadon and Saffron but you have to notice when something is a lost cause" Max lowered his head "However, I did promise and a Dragon Hunter never goes back on a promise he makes to another Dragon Hunter" he looks to Ash "You're lucky" he points to Malone "If he wasn't a Dragon Hunter you couldn't pay me enough to go on this suicide charge of yours" Max stormed into the cave stopping at the entrance. "I'll meet you at the outskirts of Celadon, we'll approach from there." Ash and Malone stood there flustered by what they had witnessed, "So with this we are off to Vermillion" he pointed to the boat, "we have a few more friends to recruit, apparently whether they like it or not."


End file.
